Staying Relevant

The Heat looked absolutely dominant in their series with the Celtics and continue to impress as they try to extend a 2-1 lead over the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. They still have to win 6 more games against some very tough opponents to get their first NBA title in the big 2 ½ era, but the fact remains they’ve proved the haters wrong and are emerging as the team to beat in the East and possibly the league.

The scariest thing about them, is a point that’s been made all season, this is the worst Heat team you’re going to see for some time. They are only going to get better and better. They will be able to attract more talent as players look to get rings and live in South Beach. The chemistry among the guys that are playing together now is only going to get better as well.

The Bulls, too, will improve season after season for the next several years. Win or lose they’ll be an attractive destination for free agents looking to get some hardware.

The Celtics will have an upward climb in order to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference, not just next year, but year after year. Western Conference teams, for the the last decade, have been trying to build teams that could beat the Lakers in a playoff series, and now it looks like Eastern Conference teams are going to have to do the same regarding the Heat, or the Bulls or possibly both.

The Celtics are going to have to improve in the front court to expose the weaknesses of both the Heat and the Bulls’ big men. That may mean Garnett coming in as a 6th man, and trading up for a young, athletic center. Whatever the answer is, it wont be easy to come by as soon as next year, when the big 3 will likely have their last chance to make a run.